I am making two square cakes as gift boxes one rum one chocolate covered in MMF with bows on top. I need to fiqure out how to make the top look like there is a top to box. I have to let you know I have no special equipment.

This tutorial may help you, it's for a bc box cake but it would give you the "base to cover... I've done it in the bc and it worked perfectly. If it works I will attach pics, if you don't see any pics it didn't want to work... but the tutorial is great.
http://www.make-fabulous-cakes.com/gift-box-cake-tutorial.html

I HAVE MADE BOX TOPS FROM STYROFOAM AND JUST SAT THEM ON TOP OF THE CAKE ALSO

We've used sturdy cardboard or foam board as well. I agree with cupcakers with the styrofoam. But if you want it a bit "thinner" i would use foam board.

If you simply put a thick band of fondant all around the top edge, it would look like a top also...easy, like this, except square of course
http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1562673

Thanks for the tutorial. Going to watch it now. Goodluck with yours. Send me a pic of it if anything!

I though of this but I am scared it will slide off... How can I secure it?
I wanted the whole cake to be edible so that is why I didn't want to go with anything else.

Thanks again everyone!

Royal Icing, piping gel, etc
RI is probably your best bet and will dry the quickest

I see. Btw I love this site. You guys are so helpful. You have no idea how many times I got overwhelmed and wanted to back out of this "project".
Do you think cutting a strip and placing it around the top to form a ledge would work? Right over the crumb coat. Would it need RI underneath? I guess I would then cover it with MMF and make edges to form a little ledge to make it look like there is a top..

Or would putting a short layer over the whole top and then having it stop two inches or so down the side hold up better, then that covered with MMF?

How about covering the entire "box" with MMF like you had originally planned. Then when you go to place the details on the cake, bow, things like that, place the strip around the top like in the image above. If you can get it tight enough to the previous MMF layer, it will look very nice and can even give a two-tone look to the box, which I love.
You don't need RI there, but I would suggest it just in case.

you can attach the band with water(tiny bit on brush) or with piping gel I also use tiny brush

Just like madgeowens said. My favorite is still RI, not sure why but it's simple to make and we always have to make it anyways, so ... haha
But yeah, piping gel, water or RI will work. Water is easiest if you don't wanna make anything or buy piping gel.
Just make sure not to put too much so it slips off.

great info, thanks to everyone
Jodi

I just used a rectangular piece of cake cardboard and covered it with gumpaste. I made the gumpaste overhang the edges and let the whole thing dry on a couple of drinking glasses. Here is my cake:

http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1719442

Nice cathy....you just covered the cardboard with gumpaste and let it over hang an inch or so....can you use fondant/gumpaste do you think...or will it not harden?

sugarshack gives directions on how to do the top in fondant. sorry i cant figure out how to add an attachment. search her pink cake boxes and scroll through the comments.

Great tips!

I have sugarshacks dvds and she does her tops out of gumpaste....I have not had the time needed for them to dry, to try that yet


it may be fondant with tylose powder too...havent watched it lately

I do them with both

ah.............thanks for clearing that up

I just made a gift box, I don't know if this is what you are looking for but I'll tell you how I did it. I covered the cake in fondant for the "box". Then I rolled out a piece of black fondant for the top of the lid. I covered the cake with plastic wrap so when I laid he black fondant down it would not adhere. Then I cut around the fondant with scissors leaving just a little bit hanging over the edges. Then I rolled out a strip of black fondant about 1 inch wide. I brushed it with water and put it on top of the little bit that I had left hanging over the top of the box. Here is what it looks like:

http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1888654

I also have a shoebox in my pictures. I used foamboard to do that one.

Yes thats true, I thought about that right after I posted lol...thanks